No DNA, Just RSA! 5 Sporting Highs of 2025 That United the Nation
1. Proteas trade “Chokers” for “Champions” tag at WTC Final
Despite producing some of the greatest cricketers the world has ever seen, the South African national cricket team earned the unwanted title of chokers for several years, having continuously gone deep in global competitions but failed to secure a world title.
However, all that changed in June when Temba Bavuma led the Proteas to a commanding five-wicket victory over Australia at the Home of Cricket to win the World Test Championship mace - their first major global title in any format of the game.
Since then, South Africa have continued their stellar form in the red-ball format, winning three of their last four Tests, including a historic 2-0 whitewash of India last month, which was their first Test series victory in India in over two decades.
2. Springbok Women reach 2025 World Cup quarter-final
The past year was a breakthrough one for women’s rugby in South Africa, as the Springbok Women defied expectations by reaching their first-ever quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup in England back in September.
En route to the quarter-finals, the Springbok Women delivered a commanding 66-6 demolition of Brazil before making history by beating Italy - who are ranked four places above them in the world standings - for the first time on August 31.
3. Springboks go back-to-back in the Rugby Championship
Above all of the nation's achievements this year, the one that stands at the very top was the Springboks retaining the Rugby Championship title for the first time in their history and announcing themselves as the clear benchmark in world rugby right now.
While the Boks suffered a shock defeat in their opening match of the competition against the Wallabies, Rassie Erasmus was undeterred and pulled off a masterclass just a couple of weeks later by crushing the All Blacks at their fortress Eden Park 43-10 - the heaviest defeat New Zealand have ever suffered.
This year was also a breakthrough one for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who is already being compared to some of the greatest fly-halves of all time, and the 23-year-old was instrumental in the Boks’ Autumn Nations Series, in which they beat Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales to end the year as the clear leaders in world rugby.
4. Rayno Nel crowned World’s Strongest Man
While there were plenty of individual athlete performances that could have made this list, we could not overlook the achievement of former Free State Cheetahs rugby player Rayno Nel, who won the 2025 World’s Strongest Man in May, becoming not just the first South African to do so, but the first man from all of Africa!
The 30-year-old defeated household names such as Tom Stoltman and Canada’s Mitchell Hooper to clinch the title. He then proved that his triumph was no fluke by successfully defending his Strongman Champions League crown six months later.
5. Bafana Bafana qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup
South African football has been on the rise over the past couple of years, with Bafana Bafana claiming bronze at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, while Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates both reached the last four in the CAF Champions League last season.
However, none of that compared to the pure joy of seeing Bafana Bafana beat Rwanda 3-0 on the final day of the Africa Qualifiers to book their spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking their return to the global competition for the first time in 16 years, when they hosted the tournament.
Under the guidance of Hugo Broos, South Africa finished with 18 points in one of the toughest qualifying groups, edging out Nigeria and Benin, while doing so with a squad made up primarily of locally based players, who are also representing the nation in Morocco at present in the AFCON 2025.
